A Discovery of Witches

More on the Shadow

At the beginning of the story, Diana believes that she has successfully kept magic out of her life. When she meets Matthew, she holds him at arms length as well; he symbolizes everything that she tries to avoid (von Franz, 1968). Magic, power, passion. But she can't stay away from Matthew any more than she can deny her true nature, and as she lets him in step by step she also lets herself out. When she and Matthew are finally joined as one, Diana comes into her full power, having integrated the Shadow within as she embraced the Shadow without.

The Goddess, the Shadow, and I

In a nearby Universe...

Diana is the last of a line of powerful witches who refuses to practice magic. Matthew is a 1500-year-old vampire with a temper problem. Together, they must face bigotry, ancient and outdated laws, the specter of creature extinction and direct threats to Diana's life as they search for the Book of Life - a magical tome that holds the secrets of life, death and magic.

• Like Diana, I have spent much of my life just trying to be normal
• I was raised to fear my own power
• Neither Diana nor I cut off our family of origin, but strain is evident
• "You spend most of your time trying not to want things."
• Learning to integrate one's heritage with one's authentic self

The

Goddess

and the

Shadow

A Discovery of Witches

By Deborah Harkness

Diana - the reluctant witch

Matthew - the jaded vampire

Major Archetypes

& Miscellaneous Symbology

A world in turmoil

• The Goddess - represented by Diana (goddess of the hunt)
• The Shadow - represented by Matthew
• The Tree of Life - represented by the Book of Life
• The Holy Grail - also represented by the Book of Life
• Opposites & Balance - represented by Diana & Matthew's relationship
• The number 3 - there are 3 creature species, 3 x 3 members of The Congregation, 3 books in the trilogy
• Creation Myths - figure prominently in the main characters' quests

More on the Goddess

The Archetype of the Goddess is prominent throughout the series, as suggested by Diana's name. Diana was a Roman goddess, the goddess of the hunt as well as of fertility, the woodlands, Earth and crossroads. Loosely speaking, Diana is analogous to the Greek goddess Artemis and shares many of her traits (Mascetti, 1990).

The Goddess Archetype represents the power of cyclic creativity as evidenced in the earthly plane. From female fertility to farming to hunting to the end of life, the Goddess reminds us that energy and matter are constantly shifting, creation and destruction keep the world spinning, and the limits of what we can do are often not what we assume them to be.

By encompassing the entire circle of life and death, the Goddess can also represent the complete self, ego and shadow unified.

Inspiration

Personal Myth

A Coming-of-Self Story

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I was raised with a specific myth of what it meant to be a woman - subservient, meek, small and unobtrusive. I lived that myth for the first decade or so of my adult life until it became unavoidably clear that it was not the right path for me. A Discovery of Witches has played an important role in helping me develop a new, more mature personal myth.

A Discovery of Witches inspires me to accept those parts of myself that frighten or disturb me. The story reminds me that my power is something to be mastered and used, not feared and avoided.

Although Diana is the heroine of the series, this trilogy is not so much a hero's journey as a story of self-acceptance and the eventual integration of shadow and ego. It moves past the great, heroic moments to the hard work of living authentically in the world.

(Henderson, 1968)

Impact

I first read this series at a time in my life when it seemed that everything I had built was falling apart.

Stories about magic have always appealed to me. I consider myself a witch and have always identified strongly with the mystical.

I think I was first hooked by the magical world-building. I identified with Diana's struggle to find herself well into adulthood. I also appreciated the fact that the story didn't tie neatly into a bow at the end.

Every time I re-read the books I see new layers of self-development and realization in Diana that mirror my own experience.